Album Review: Cesar Comanche- Die In Your Lap

15 years ago view-show 1,268,586

die-article1Strip away the classic rivalry involving Duke University, and UNC down in North Carolina, and you’ll find something else well worth paying attention to.

The collective known as The Justus League have been capturing eardrums for as long as the fans of the two aforementioned learning institutions have bled baby blue and royal blue.

This time stepping up to the plate is Cesar Comanche with his album, Die In Your Lap.  Besides handling some of the production himself, he also has 9th Wonder to fall back on, as the former soundman for Little Brother donates five tracks to the cause.

Cesar sets the tone from the beginning with title song, ‘Die In Your Lap’ (produced by Lord Quest). Behind a perfect concoction of soul sampling and voice-overs from old sci-fi movies, Comanche sheds a little light on his past, “I’m just letting you know I’m not perfect/I’ve done my share of things well in fact/I had horns, then a set of wings on my back was born.”

Cesar shows off his off own ability to produce head-nodding beats on ‘Mercy,as he fills it up with carnival-type organs and a heavy bass line, while talking about how everybody isn’t cut out for Hip-Hop. 9th Wonder’s signature snares come through loud and clear on ‘Hands High, with The Justus League member orchestrating an underground Hip-Hop version of a club banger.

Producer Apple Juice Kid samples Marlena Shaw’s version of The Fifth Dimension’s ‘California Soul’ for ‘Guf 2,and Cesar Comanche pays the timeless piece of music the proper respect it deserves.

Die In Your Lap is one of those albums that if slept on, would be a travesty in its own right. Whether listening to ‘Everything’ (produced by Marvelous Beats), ‘What’s Wrong’ (produced by 9th Wonder), ‘Shame’ (produced by Khrysis), ‘Lamb 2 Lion’ (produced by Cesar Comanche), or the songs previously discussed; there’s really no way to go wrong.

Cesar’s lyricism intertwines seamlessly with the way-above-average production that sometimes steals the spotlight, but as an MC personified, he manages to keep his position as the main attraction in this one-man show.

Rating: 4.0

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